Fence



(No Modei.)

G; E. SHELLEY,

PENGE.

No. 380,529.- Patented Apr. 3, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrca.

GEORGE ELMOR SHELLEY, OF BUTLER, KENTUCKY.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,529, dated April 3, 1888.

Application filed December 9, 1887.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, GEORGE ELMoR SHEL- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butler, in the county of Pendleton and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fences, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fences; audit consists in certain novel features, hereinafter first fully described, and then specifically pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fence. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line a; m, Fig. 1.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A A designate the crossed braces, which are secured at their lower ends in the ground; and B B represent the riders, which are secured at their ends in the upper angles formed by the said crossed braces. The ends of the riders are bound in the angles by means of the tie-wires C G, which pass over the riders and are attached to the ends of the braces, whereby when the wires arcdrawn tight the ends of the braces are drawn together, and thus clamp the riders in place.

D D represent panel-rails which are bound by tiewires E E in the lower angles of the crossed braces, and the ends of the rails D are secured to the upper ends of the short inclined braces F by means of tie-wires. These short braces are parallel throughout the fence, and the panel-rails G G, which are below and parallel with the upper panel-rail, D, are secured or tied to the said braces. Spaces are left between the rails D G G for additional rails, as hereinafter explained.

H H represent long inclined braces, which are inclined in the opposite direction to the short braces F, and are wired at their upper ends to the rider and at their lower ends to the bottom panel-rail, G. Between the rails D G G (which are tied to the short inclined braces) are arranged similar panel-rails, G G, which are tied at their adjacent ends to the braces H E. It will be understood that the adjacent ends of corresponding rails are overlapped, and the tie-wire is passed around the ends of two rails and the brace. The braces F and H have their lower ends resting on the ground.

Serial No. 157,446. (No model.)

It will be seen from the above description that the alternate panel-rails are secured at their adjacent ends to the short braces F and the intermediate rails are secured to the long braces H H. This arrangement of the panelrails and the inclined braces is followed throughout the fence, and it will be readily seen that there is no point in the length of the fence which is less strong than another. All the vertical joints between horizontal rails are broken, and the ends of the said rails arefirmly tied to the braces.

In many fences the ends of the panel-rails are secured between vertical stakes or posts, and therefore all or a large proportion of the joints come in a vertical line. Therefore when the fence is subjected toaseverestrain it yields at the ends of the panels, for the reason that the adjacent ends of the rails separate. It will be seen that there is no division-line between the panels in my improved fence. The panels are interlocked, so as to produce an integral structure as nearly as possible. No two joints between horizontal rails come in the same vertical line, and therefore the evil referred to in connection with fences formed in panels is avoided.

The construction or erection of the fence will not be rendered more difficult by this arrangement, as will be seen from the following: First arrange the crossed braces and secure the ends of the riders in-th eir upper angles. Then drive the lower ends of theshort braces in the ground at a point intermediate between the lower ends of the crossed braces. Attach the adjacent ends of the upper panel-rails, D, to the upper ends of the short braces and bind the intermediate points of the said rails in the lower angles of the crossed braces. Attach the upper ends of the long braces to the intermediate points of the riders, allowing the said brace to assume a position inclined in the opposite direction to the short braces. Then attach the panel-rails at their ends alternately to the long and the short braces below the rail'D.

It will be seen that each panel-rail in the fence is crossed by three inclined braces, thereby covering the fence with a complete network of inclined braces, which strengthen the structure laterally as well as longitudinally.

I am aware of Patent No. 369,005, granted August 30, 1887, to G. S. Hunter, and I make no claim to the construction shown therein. In the said patent is shown a fence in which are employed cross-stakes, panel-rails below theriders,andinc1ined braces; butthe arrangements of these parts is not as cheap and simple as in my fence, while the arrangement employed by me also permits a more rapid building of the fence. In this patented device are employed tightening-levers, which are engaged at their upper ends in the loops, which secure the riders to the stakes, and are then swung toward the panel-rails, to which they are secured by tie-wires. Short inclined braces are secured at their lower ends to these anchorstakes and at their upper ends to the inclined stakes which support the riders, the rails being secured to the intermediate portions of these short inclined braces, as well as to the tightening-levers. It will be observed that in this fence all the rails are secured to both the tightening-lever and the inclined brace, thus requiring a large quantity of wire and consuming considerable time in building the fence, and consequently increasing the cost of the same. In my fence thelong and short inclined braces are both arranged between the stakes which support the riders, and neither of them is seen red to the said stakes, thus relieving the strain on the stakes, and at the same time in creasing the strength of the fence between the said stakes. In my fence, also, none of the panel-rails are secured to both the inclined braces, but the alternate rails are secured to the alternate braces, thus decreasing the quantity of wire used and the amount of time necessary in which to build the fence, thereby creasing the strength of the same by distribo uting the strain equally throughout the entire structure.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- The improved fence herein described, com- 5 posed of the crossed stakes, the riders B, supported at their overlapping points in the upper crotches of the stakes by wires tying the stakes together above them, the top rails, D, supported in the lower crotches of the stakes between their joints by wires tying the stakes together below them, the lower short inclined braces having their lower ends resting on the ground and their upper ends tied to the top rails, D, at the overlapping joints thereof, the long inclined braces with their lower ends resting on the ground and their upper ends tied to the riders between the joints thereof, the said long and short braces having their lower ends together midway transversely between the ends of the members of the corresponding crossed stakes and inclining thence upward to each other, the lower set of rails G tied to both braces F H on opposite sides of their overlappingjoints, the upper set of rails G tied only 6 to the braces F at their overlapping joints, and the rails G G tied only to the braces H at their overlapping joints, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in pres- 7o ence of two witnesses.

GEORGE ELMOR SHELLEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. ELLIs, JNO. F. ELLIs. 

